Jimmy
Burns (born February 27, 1943) was born in Dublin, Mississippi and
raised on the Hilliard Cotton Plantation where he learned to play
one-string and 12-string guitar. He was the youngest of eleven
children and sang in a church choir when he still lived in the Delta
and he was influenced by the blues he heard on the streets. At the
age of 12, Jimmy Burns moved with his family to Chicago and four
years later joined The Medallionaires who recorded a couple of
doo-wop tracks. Recording mostly solo in the 1960s, Burns issued
singles for the USA, Minit, Tip Top and Erica labels. He toured the
Midwest with his backing group, the Fantastic Epics, and with
another outfit called Jimmy Burns and the Gas Company into the early
1970s. Burns took a long break from the music industry after the
early 1970s to raise his family and run a barbecue stand.

He performed infrequently until the early part of the 1990s, when he
started a long residency at Chicago's Smokedaddy Club. It was there
that Delmark Records boss Bob Koester first heard Burns perform, and
agreed to record him after hearing only one set of music. His debut
album for Delmark in 1996, "Leaving Here Walking", was
awarded the "Best Blues Record of the Year" title by the National
Association of Independent Record Distributors, and received two W.C.
Handy Award nominations.

"Night Time Again" was released by Delmark in 1999, followed
by "Back To The Delta" in 2003, "Live At B.L.U.E.S."
in 2007 and "It Ain't Right" in 2015.

Jimmy Burns played guitar on his brother Eddie's 2002 album Snake
Eyes.

***1/2 Delmark
Records knows how to do live albums right. As they've done on other
artists recently- on Jimmy Burns they're
releasing both a CD and a DVD of"Live
At B.L.U.E.S.".
It's the first music to come from Burns since his masterful 2003
release "Back To The Delta". Recorded August 13, 2006 at
B.L.U.E.S.' annual summer backyard BBG and Blues show Burns and band
cook through 10 songs extracted from his three Delmark LPs plus a
choice cover or three. Possessing a beefy, soulful voice similar to
luminary Robert Cray , Burns is as commanding on stage as he is
behind the glass. His Blues melds Chicago and Delta styles or sweaty
Funk n' sweet Soul R & B.

From his National
Association Of Independent Record Distributors Blues CD of 1998 "Leaving
Here Walking" he delivers the title cut, "Miss Annie Lou" &
"Better Know What You're Doing". All keepers. From his even better "Night
Time Again" LP he lays down "No Consideration" then a couple
for "Delta". Not quite a "best of" but a proper stopgap piece
until his next full length. Jesse Fortune guests on the mic for
"Three O' Clock Blues". By the way, the DVD has two bonus cuts, an
audio interview/commentary special feature!